Alberta minimum wage up: NWT stays

The minimum wage in Alberta is going up on April 1 from $8 per hour to $8.40. The Alberta government has put in place a system where the minimum wage is tied to the "average weekly wage index" from Statistics Canada. Every April 1 the minimum wage will automatically increase to keep pace with other increasing costs and wages in the province.

"Alberta's experiencing a time of great prosperity," said Premier Ed Stelmach in a press release. "Wages have increased about five per cent and we're ensuring minimum wage earners are sharing in this growth."

About 70,000 Albertans or 3.5 per cent of the province's working population are paid at minimum wage. Most Albertans make much more than minimum, with the province's median pay at $20 per hour according to Alberta Employment and Immigration spokesperson Stephanie Francis.Most minimum wage earners are employed by the food service and hospitality industries according to the Alberta government. In 2006 nearly half of such earners were 15-19 years old.

The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) criticizes the wage increase as being too low, recommending a minimum wage of at least $10 per hour. In a press release the AFL said a higher minimum wage would have a "ripple-through effect" that would raise wages throughout the province.

Government spokesperson Francis said the amount of increase was "about keeping the balance between minimum wage earners and employers."The increase will briefly bring Alberta's minimum wage to the fifth highest in Canada, third among the provinces. Ontario will have the highest minimum wage for adults, which will go up to $8.75 on Mar. 31. That will edge out Nunavut at $8.50. But minors and liquor servers have lower minimums in Ontario.

Other provinces and territories of note:- Yukon will go up to $8.58 on Apr. 1. Yukon increases its minimum every year to keep pace with the consumer price index from Statistics Canada. This is a different index than what Alberta uses.- Manitoba will raise its minimum to $8.50 on Apr. 1.- New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have equal or lower minimum wages, but both provinces are set to increase them this spring.- Saskatchewan will raise its minimum to $8.60 on May 1.- The lowest minimum wage in Canada will be in Prince Edward Island at $7.50.- The NWT's minimum wage will remain steady at $8.25.

Barb Wyness of the Union of Northern Workers said they have proposed a $10 per hour minimum wage in the NWT, to be recalculated annually to keep pace with StatsCan's standard of living index.